Fiat 500 by Gucci

Fiat's little three-door gets dolled-up by some fellow Italians.

The ultra-extra-super-patriotic Harley-Davidson and Ford F-150 tie-in works, so why not something a little more, you know, Italian? Presenting the Fiat 500 by Gucci, which debuts at the Geneva auto show and highlights Italy’s association with high-end fashion. It also serves to commemorate Gucci’s 90th anniversary.

Now if the Harley pickup is a sloppy Joe with home fries, the 500 by Gucci is field greens with raspberry vinaigrette and a Parmesan crostini. Indeed, the Gucci touch does what it can to further emasculate the diminutive 500, which is hardly hairy-chested to begin with. Two color schemes are available: black with bright chrome details, and white with satin-finish chrome, both circumscribed by Gucci’s trademark green and red stripes below the window line. Lacey 16-inch wheels with color-coordinated insets feature Gucci’s interlocking-G logo on the center caps, while the B-pillar and liftgate are embellished with the word “Gucci” in a sassy cursive font.

Inside, the black leather seats with white “Guccissima” inserts are bisected by the Gucci stripe, which also appears on the seat belts, shifter, key fob, and carpets. And if that’s not enough, customers may further stuff the interior with a full line of “500 by Gucci” travel accessories, as well as a suitcase full of other goods, including track suits, driving gloves, bomber jackets, sunglasses, and, of course, a watch.

Fashion/car pairings are tough to get right; Lamborghini could barely pull it off when it partnered with equally outlandish Versace in 2006 for a limited run of the Murciélago LP640 Versace, and there also was 2008’s Hermès-treated Bugatti Veyron. Then again, at a price of €17,000, the 500 by Gucci is a fraction of a fraction of the cost of the aforementioned Lambo or Veyron, and roughly what the lunching-lady set drops in a Gucci boutique in one afternoon. It will become available in Europe this summer, and the rest of the world at the end of the year.

No word as to whether a copy was given to “Mouth Full of Golds” rapper Gucci Mane, but given his arrest late last year for reckless driving, his subsequent stay in a psychiatric hospital, and new ice-cream-cone facial tattoo, we doubt it.

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